BolshyFaker

Hey all, I was wondering if anyone had advice on good language kits to learn Hebrew? The modern day conversational form, rather than the Biblical.

I just thought I'd stick this here, even if it is going to get Mod shifted to the Lounge as there are likely to be way more Hebrew speakers here...

Thanks for the help! :wave:

Vicious Love

Learn Biblical Hebrew. Look up and promptly forget a few thousand new words coined by the Academy of the Hebrew Language, which absolutely no one uses. Become fluent in Arabic slang and broken English.

That is all.

premjan

What is the extent of Hebrew use in Israel? Is it a real living language? Or something propped up by government?

Chris Weimer

A real, living language.

Chris Weimer

I've taken the classes at the University of Memphis, and the book we use come straight from Israel. I'm at the library at the moment, so I'm not able to check on it for you, but I'll do so and let you know when I get back.

DamnYankees

Very real, living language.

If you want to learn Hebrew, I'd recommend Rosetta Stone. I'm fluent in Hebrew, but I learned it in school. I used Rosetta Stone and flash cards to team myself Mandarin, though, and in just a few months I was basically conversational and pretty literate. Hebrew would probably be much easier. I just started Arabic today, actually, and am using Rosetta Stone and flashcards for that also - its a potent combo.

If you have any specific questions or just want to talk about Hebrew in general, shoot me an email. It really is invaluable if you love the Bible - I hate having to read it in English.

Ethan
ELutske@yahoo.com

BolshyFaker

Thanks for the help guys, I will check out Rosetta Stone for the moment!

I'm off to Israel (for the first time) this August, so looking to at least learn enough to order a beer Not a high ambition I suppose, but hey, small steps... maybe one day I'll be able to pick up the Bible in Hebrew.

Certainly my lonely planet phrasebook notes one (mis)translation: the land of milk and honey should be the land of milk and date jam... oh yeah and about that 'young girl' :Cheeky:

DamnYankees

Rosetta Stone is not free, btw. I'm not sure if it has a free trial.

"B'vakasha, ani rotzeh birah echad." Hope that helps!

Well, sort of. The phrase in Hebrew does say "land of milk and honey" - the Hebrew is "eretz chalav u'dvash", and the modern word for honey in Hebrew is "d'vash". Thing is in the time of the bible, the word "d'vash" meant date honey. So its sort of a proper translation, the type of thing which requires a footnote.

But yeah, the "young girl" thing is just a fiasco!

BolshyFaker

Gah, 130 pounds (260 dollars) for the Rosetta??

That is a pricy language kit. Is it really that good?

DamnYankees

Well, depends. How much Hebrew do you really want to learn? I got it for Mandarin, and found it to be an excellent suplement to using flash cards and reading - teaching yourself a language isn't easy. To be honest, I'm not too familiar with other programs that are out there, especially for a language as niche as Hebrew. Maybe you should contact a local university and ask for some advice. All I know is Rosetta Stone is pretty good if you're willing to put in the effort.